Kim Ogg
The big news here is that there were no surprises on the Democratic side, in particular no unpleasant surprises. By far the best news was that Kim Ogg easily bested Lloyd Oliver in the primary for DA, with over 70% of the vote. I doubt we’ve seen the last of this particular plague on our house, but I think it’s fair to say that this time, Oliver’s name recognition did not work for him. I hope by now there have been enough negative stories about him – that Observer piece got shared far and wide on Facebook – that now when people see his name, it’s not a good thing for him. In any event, we Dems managed to not make the same mistake we made in 2012, so we can have ourselves a real DA race this fall. Thank goodness for that.
The three incumbent legislators that had primary challengers all won without breaking a sweat. Sen. John Whitmire had 75%, Rep. Carol Alvarado had 85%, and Rep. Alma Allen was right at 90%. The other race of interest was in the 113th District Civil Court, where Steven Kirkland pulled out a close win. The thing I noticed was that while Kirkland won early voting with 51% (he trailed slightly in absentee ballots), he won Election Day with over 54%. I have to think that the late stories about serial sugar daddy George Fleming worked in Kirkland’s favor. If so, that makes me very happy. If Kirkland wins this November, it means it’ll be at least until 2018 before we have to deal with Fleming’s crap again. Maybe by then he’ll have gotten a grip and moved on with his life. I for one certainly hope so.
On the Republican side, Rep. Sarah Davis easily held off teabag challenger Bonnie Parker, clearing 70% with room to spare. Hard to believe now that this was seen as a hot race. Embattled Family Court Judge Denise Pratt led the field of five for her bench, but she had only 30% of the vote. That runoff will be interesting to watch. Most other incumbents won easily – Sen. Joan Huffman, Rep. Debbie Riddle, District Clerk Chris Daniel, and Treasurer Orlando Sanchez – while former Council member Al Hoang defeated Nghi Ho for the nomination in HD149. One other incumbent wasn’t so lucky, now-former Party Chair Jared Woodfill, who was ousted by Paul Simpson. I don’t know if County Judge Ed Emmett smokes cigars, but if he fired one up after these numbers started coming in, I for one would not blame him.
On turnout, Election Day wound up being roughly equal to early non-absentee voting on both sides. I’d say the weather plus maybe a bit of Mardi Gras had an effect. We got the results we wanted in Harris County, so I’m not too concerned about it.
UPDATE: I have to laugh at this:
Ogg, 54, said she spent $150,000 to get her message out for the primary. Her opponent, Lloyd Oliver, did not raise or spend a penny on his campaign.
“I guess the weather did me in,” Oliver said Tuesday.
Before the election, the 70-year-old said gray skies meant only the “party elite” would make it to the polls.
“They control the establishment side, and for some reason, I don’t see me ever making it on the establishment side,” he said. “You can either be establishment or a loose cannon, but you can’t be in-between.”
Yes, the weather did you in, Lloyd. Which is why Kim Ogg was leading with over 70% in early voting. Please feel free to go away and never come back now, Lloyd.
Please come show your support for ANYONE BUT PRATT:
The South Belt Area Republicans will be hosting a judicial candidates forum tonight for the runoff election.
Location: HEP Bookstore, 11665 Fuqua, Suite A100, Houston, Texas 77034 (map)
Time: Social, 6:30 pm, Meeting, 7:00 pm
Confirmed candidates:
247th Family Court – John Schmude and Judge M. L. Walker
311th Family Court – Judge Denise Pratt and Alicia Franklin
http://blog.chron.com/bigjolly/2014/03/south-belt-area-republicans-judicial-runoff-forum-tonight/?cmpid=houtalkshcat
I am hearing a lot of objections to Alicia Franklin, concerns about her ties to the old system of court appointments, concerns about her being a Democrat. She may have an uphill fight to win over Republican primary voters.
So we’re stuck with incompetent Denise Pratt? Is there any connection to her making it to the runoff and her endorsement by pay-to-play folks like Steven Hotze and Gary Polland? At this point, I’d trade Denise Pratt for someone with a pulse and take a chance that he or she would be an improvement.